scholarly journals The role of metamemory in autobiographical memory performance in dysphoric individuals

Author(s):  
Matthew James King

Autobiographical memory (AM) performance in individuals with depressive symptoms has repeatedly been shown to be overgeneral (OGM) in nature, and characterized by summaries of repeated events or long periods of time rather than a single event tied to a unique spatial and temporal context. The present body of work was designed to address the metamnemonic aspects of AM performance in dysphoric individuals, with the underlying motivation being that OGM may not be a unique phenomenon specific to depression or AM, and that it may reflect a more general pattern of memory impairment. The studies presented herein examine various aspects of metamemory and other memory processes that may offer a parsimonious account of OGM as poor event memory in general, rather than a specific standalone finding. In Study 1 several metamnemonic processes were investigated using a quantity-accuracy profile approach. Here, the results showed that performance between dysphoric and non-dysphoric participants was nearly indistinguishable on measures of calibration, resolution, grain-size setting, and criterion setting, suggesting that these aspects of metamemory are intact in dysphoria for immediately tested material. Study 2 examined whether it is possible to “create” OGMs by employing a delay manipulation for both autobiographical (3 day delay) and laboratory-based events (7 day delay). Indeed, the results from this study showed that the performance on both tasks declines for both groups, but that this effect was of a greater magnitude in the dysphoric group. Critically, no differences emerged for immediately tested information. Finally, Study 3 examined the role of working memory and memory search strategies in the recollection of autobiographically relevant information. The results from Study 3 showed that dysphoric individuals may engage in a less organized search strategy than non-dysphoric participants as exhibited by a tendency to switch set in the midst of thematically related information. Taken as a whole, these data indicate that OGM may be attributable to deficits in memory search strategies in conjunction with memories that may be more prone to decay and/or forgetting, suggesting that OGM may not be a depression-specific phenomenon, but rather the downstream deficit of degraded memory representation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew James King

Autobiographical memory (AM) performance in individuals with depressive symptoms has repeatedly been shown to be overgeneral (OGM) in nature, and characterized by summaries of repeated events or long periods of time rather than a single event tied to a unique spatial and temporal context. The present body of work was designed to address the metamnemonic aspects of AM performance in dysphoric individuals, with the underlying motivation being that OGM may not be a unique phenomenon specific to depression or AM, and that it may reflect a more general pattern of memory impairment. The studies presented herein examine various aspects of metamemory and other memory processes that may offer a parsimonious account of OGM as poor event memory in general, rather than a specific standalone finding. In Study 1 several metamnemonic processes were investigated using a quantity-accuracy profile approach. Here, the results showed that performance between dysphoric and non-dysphoric participants was nearly indistinguishable on measures of calibration, resolution, grain-size setting, and criterion setting, suggesting that these aspects of metamemory are intact in dysphoria for immediately tested material. Study 2 examined whether it is possible to “create” OGMs by employing a delay manipulation for both autobiographical (3 day delay) and laboratory-based events (7 day delay). Indeed, the results from this study showed that the performance on both tasks declines for both groups, but that this effect was of a greater magnitude in the dysphoric group. Critically, no differences emerged for immediately tested information. Finally, Study 3 examined the role of working memory and memory search strategies in the recollection of autobiographically relevant information. The results from Study 3 showed that dysphoric individuals may engage in a less organized search strategy than non-dysphoric participants as exhibited by a tendency to switch set in the midst of thematically related information. Taken as a whole, these data indicate that OGM may be attributable to deficits in memory search strategies in conjunction with memories that may be more prone to decay and/or forgetting, suggesting that OGM may not be a depression-specific phenomenon, but rather the downstream deficit of degraded memory representation.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Lanthier ◽  
Mona Zhu ◽  
Crystal Byun ◽  
Michelle Jarick ◽  
Alan Kingstone

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Bourgeois ◽  
Carole Guedj ◽  
Emmanuel Carrera ◽  
Patrik Vuilleumier

Selective attention is a fundamental cognitive function that guides behavior by selecting and prioritizing salient or relevant sensory information of our environment. Despite early evidence and theoretical proposal pointing to an implication of thalamic control in attention, most studies in the past two decades focused on cortical substrates, largely ignoring the contribution of subcortical regions as well as cortico-subcortical interactions. Here, we suggest a key role of the pulvinar in the selection of salient and relevant information via its involvement in priority maps computation. Prioritization may be achieved through a pulvinar- mediated generation of alpha oscillations, which may then modulate neuronal gain in thalamo-cortical circuits. Such mechanism might orchestrate the synchrony of cortico-cortical interaction, by rendering neural communication more effective, precise and selective. We propose that this theoretical framework will support a timely shift from the prevailing cortico- centric view of cognition to a more integrative perspective of thalamic contributions to attention and executive control processes.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve M. J. Janssen

People tend to recall more specific personal events from adolescence and early adulthood than from other lifetime periods, a finding known as the reminiscence bump. Several explanations have suggested that events from the reminiscence bump are especially emotional, important, or positive, but studies using cue words have not found support for these claims. An alternative account postulates that cognitive abilities function optimally in adolescence and early adulthood, which may cause more memories to be stored in those lifetime periods. Although other studies have previously discussed the cognitive abilities account as a possible explanation for the reminiscence bump, it was only recently shown that cognitive abilities are indeed related to autobiographical memory performance. When this recent finding is combined with previous findings that cognitive abilities as well as autobiographical memory function optimally in adolescence and early adulthood, they suggest that the cognitive abilities account is a promising explanation for the reminiscence bump in the temporal distribution of word-cued memories. However, because the account does not aim to explain the reminiscence bump in the distribution of highly significant events, it should be regarded as complementary to the existing accounts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-158
Author(s):  
Aditi Priyamvara ◽  
Amit K. Dey ◽  
Antara Bagchi ◽  
Raveena Kelkar ◽  
Rajaram Sharma

Background: It is known that hormonal imbalances during pregnancy make women more susceptible to dental problems. High levels of progesterone and estrogen during pregnancy, lead to an increased inflammatory response to dental plaque thus causing predisposing to gum diseases such as gingivitis. If untreated, gingivitis leads to chronic periodontitis which may manifest systemically in form of cardiovascular, endocrine or even respiratory disorders. Also, hyperacidity in the oral cavity due to gastric reflux and vomiting leads to decreased pH thus damaging the tooth enamel making the oral cavity more prone to tooth decay and tooth loss. Studies also show that periodontal disease can also lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term and low birth weight babies. Objectives: We sought to understand the role of oral health in pregnancy. Methods: We identified major articles of interest in the field of oral health in pregnancy and drafted a mini-symposium based on relevant information. Conclusion: Regular dental visits and cognizant efforts to sustain a healthy oral environment can help women in the prevention and treatment of dental issues during pregnancy. The paper highlights the common oral manifestations during pregnancy and their local and systemic impact on the body during pregnancy. Furthermore, it also emphasizes the importance of good oral health practices to counteract the oral complications and the significance of oral health awareness in pregnant women.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
KONSTANTIN A. KORSIK ◽  
◽  
ANASTASIYA A. PARFENCHIKOVA ◽  

The article is devoted to the review of current changes in the legislation on notaries related to the development of electronic civil circulation, analysis of existing digital risks and assessment of the role of notaries in combating them. In modern economic realities, a significant expansion of the sphere of competence of the notary is carried out by introducing completely new notarial actions into the scope of the notary’s terms of reference. At the same time, the notary does not just follow the general ‘digital’ trend, but independently makes significant efforts to effectively perform the tasks of the social sphere regulator assigned to it by the state. The creation of the Unified Notary Information System as part of the formation of the technological infrastructure to ensure the security and stability of legal relations in the context of electronic civil circulation takes to a new level the quality of notarial services and the security of legally relevant information. The role of notaries significantly increases in conditions when the use of digital technologies in the economy, public administration, social sphere becomes one of the main vectors of world development, and society and the state inevitably face the flip side of this process – digital risks that jeopardize the safety of participants in civil turnover and their property. In 2020, as part of the implementation of the national program ‘Digital Economy’, it is planned to introduce a number of innovations that will create the basis for a stable and secure ‘digital’ turnover.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3327
Author(s):  
Vicente Román ◽  
Luis Payá ◽  
Adrián Peidró ◽  
Mónica Ballesta ◽  
Oscar Reinoso

Over the last few years, mobile robotics has experienced a great development thanks to the wide variety of problems that can be solved with this technology. An autonomous mobile robot must be able to operate in a priori unknown environments, planning its trajectory and navigating to the required target points. With this aim, it is crucial solving the mapping and localization problems with accuracy and acceptable computational cost. The use of omnidirectional vision systems has emerged as a robust choice thanks to the big quantity of information they can extract from the environment. The images must be processed to obtain relevant information that permits solving robustly the mapping and localization problems. The classical frameworks to address this problem are based on the extraction, description and tracking of local features or landmarks. However, more recently, a new family of methods has emerged as a robust alternative in mobile robotics. It consists of describing each image as a whole, what leads to conceptually simpler algorithms. While methods based on local features have been extensively studied and compared in the literature, those based on global appearance still merit a deep study to uncover their performance. In this work, a comparative evaluation of six global-appearance description techniques in localization tasks is carried out, both in terms of accuracy and computational cost. Some sets of images captured in a real environment are used with this aim, including some typical phenomena such as changes in lighting conditions, visual aliasing, partial occlusions and noise.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 552
Author(s):  
Salam Awenat ◽  
Arnoldo Piccardo ◽  
Patricia Carvoeiras ◽  
Giovanni Signore ◽  
Luca Giovanella ◽  
...  

Background: The use of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted agents for staging prostate cancer (PCa) patients using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasing worldwide. We performed a systematic review on the role of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging to provide evidence-based data in this setting. Methods: A comprehensive computer literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases for studies using 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging was performed until 31 December 2020. Eligible articles were selected and relevant information was extracted from the original articles by two authors independently. Results: Eight articles (369 patients) evaluating the role of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in PCa staging were selected. These studies were quite heterogeneous, but, overall, they demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in detecting PCa lesions at staging. Overall, higher primary PCa aggressiveness was associated with higher 18F-PSMA-1007 uptake. When compared with other radiological and scintigraphic imaging methods, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT had superior sensitivity in detecting metastatic disease and the highest inter-reader agreement. 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT showed similar results in terms of diagnostic accuracy for PCa staging compared with PET/CT with other PSMA-targeted tracers. Dual imaging with multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT may improve staging of primary PCa. Notably, 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT may detect metastatic disease in a significant number of patients with negative standard imaging. Conclusions: 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT demonstrated a good accuracy in PCa staging, with similar results compared with other PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals. This method could substitute bone scintigraphy and conventional abdominal imaging for PCa staging. Prospective multicentric studies are needed to confirm these findings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Batel Yifrah ◽  
Ayelet Ramaty ◽  
Genela Morris ◽  
Avi Mendelsohn

AbstractDecision making can be shaped both by trial-and-error experiences and by memory of unique contextual information. Moreover, these types of information can be acquired either by means of active experience or by observing others behave in similar situations. The interactions between reinforcement learning parameters that inform decision updating and memory formation of declarative information in experienced and observational learning settings are, however, unknown. In the current study, participants took part in a probabilistic decision-making task involving situations that either yielded similar outcomes to those of an observed player or opposed them. By fitting alternative reinforcement learning models to each subject, we discerned participants who learned similarly from experience and observation from those who assigned different weights to learning signals from these two sources. Participants who assigned different weights to their own experience versus those of others displayed enhanced memory performance as well as subjective memory strength for episodes involving significant reward prospects. Conversely, memory performance of participants who did not prioritize their own experience over others did not seem to be influenced by reinforcement learning parameters. These findings demonstrate that interactions between implicit and explicit learning systems depend on the means by which individuals weigh relevant information conveyed via experience and observation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7713
Author(s):  
Alyssa Tidmore ◽  
Sucharita M. Dutta ◽  
Arriyam S. Fesshaye ◽  
William K. Russell ◽  
Vania D. Duncan ◽  
...  

Exposure of rodents to <20 cGy Space Radiation (SR) impairs performance in several hippocampus-dependent cognitive tasks, including spatial memory. However, there is considerable inter-individual susceptibility to develop SR-induced spatial memory impairment. In this study, a robust label-free mass spectrometry (MS)-based unbiased proteomic profiling approach was used to characterize the composition of the hippocampal proteome in adult male Wistar rats exposed to 15 cGy of 1 GeV/n 48Ti and their sham counterparts. Unique protein signatures were identified in the hippocampal proteome of: (1) sham rats, (2) Ti-exposed rats, (3) Ti-exposed rats that had sham-like spatial memory performance, and (4) Ti-exposed rats that impaired spatial memory performance. Approximately 14% (159) of the proteins detected in hippocampal proteome of sham rats were not detected in the Ti-exposed rats. We explored the possibility that the loss of the Sham-only proteins may arise as a result of SR-induced changes in protein homeostasis. SR-exposure was associated with a switch towards increased pro-ubiquitination proteins from that seen in Sham. These data suggest that the role of the ubiquitin-proteome system as a determinant of SR-induced neurocognitive deficits needs to be more thoroughly investigated.


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